Strange things happen at sea
by Stembuk
Summary: The team are called out to evacuate a burning cruise ship.


The fire aboard the cruise ship had started late in the night, when most of the passengers and crew were sleeping. For some reason, the fire suppression system wasn't working, and the crew had tried to battle the inferno with the limited hand held extinguishers available to them. Fortunately, the captain had soon realised the situation was hopeless, and had sent out a distress call.

Captain Pinso then went below decks to help out with the evacuation of the passengers. Along with the malfunctioning of the fire suppression systems, the shipboard electrical network had also failed, trapping the lifeboats in their cradles, effectively leaving them useless. Fortunately, as per regulations, the cruise ship carried an independent radio system, and it was through this that the very welcome news that International Rescue were on their way.

Bearly five minutes after the message had been received, but almost an eternity to the crew and the passengers, Thunderbirds One and Two were over the Danger Zone, Scott managing to put his 'Bird down on the ship to co-ordinate an evacuation, using her as the Mobile Control . Dropping Pod 4 into the ocean nearby, Gordon used Thunderbird Four, towing a large floating platform, to ferry the passengers and crew inside for transport to the nearest port.

Alan was miffed - he'd been excited when Jeff had sent him along on this mission, then found out that he was to play stewardess to their rescuees until dropping them off. Darkly, he was muttering revenge.

As the ship started to settle lower in the water, the inferno's heat having warped the hull and letting the ocean begin to claim her latest victim, Alan called Scott.

'Pod Four to Mobile Control. Pod Four to Mobile Control. Come in, Scott.'

'Pod Four from Mobile Control - Go ahead, Alan.'

'I've got the ship's Purser here with me, Scott, with a list of the people aboard. According to him, all but four are accounted for - the Captain and three of the engineers. He thinks they're trapped in the engine room.'

'F.A.B., Alan. I'm going to find them.'

'Mobile Control from Thunderbird Four - Best hurry, Scott. My best estimate is that she has five to ten minutes before she completely sinks.'

'Understood, Gordon. I'll be as fast as possible, but stand by to pick us up.'

Scott slipped from Thunderbird One and ran towards the interior of the ship, feeling the heat from the flames licking at him. Smoke made his visibility limited, and added to the unfamiliar layout... he only prayed he could make it in time.

As he made his way down a ladder, the ship lurched to the side. His grip torn away from him, Scott bounced off a wall and landed heavily on the deck, head spinning.

'Are you all right?'

Scott looked up to see a redheaded woman in an officer's uniform crouched by him, concern in her eyes. Strangely, despite the heat, she didn't seem to be sweating much.

Shaking his head to clear it, Scott climbed to his feet, then looked both ways along the deck, trying to get his bearings again. The woman looked at him and smiled thinly.

'This way. The engine room is down here.'

Scott opened his mouth to ask a question, but the officer had already moved away down the passage. Following her, she led him through the twists and turns of the ship, slowly starting to wade through deeper and deeper water, until they came to a large metal door, the ocean pouring in from the other side. A collapsed walkway of twisted metal wedged the door only slightly open, and Scott could see the arms of the crew trapped inside as the struggled to open it, could hear their frantic cries for help.

Yanking a metal pole from the twisted heap, Scott used it as a lever to force the rubble away from the door, using his strength to force it back enough for the trapped crew to squeeze through the gap . The opened door allowed the ocean to pour in faster, but not fast enough to hamper movement too seriously. Things were just... very wet.

Soaked to the skin, cold and freezing, Scott and the four men made their way towards the ship's main deck. Since he had started to move the blockage, The redhead had had disappeared - he could only hope that she had already left the ship and was on her way to Pod Four. Reaching the port side, and feeling it starting to rise whilst the starboard side sank, He wasted no time in getting the crew over the side, taking a few seconds to see them heading for Thunderbird Four's new ferry service. Holding onto the edge as he felt shuddering beneath his feet, he made his way back to Thunderbird One. Quickly strapping in, he just managed to get her airborne as the ship sank beneath him... he could swear that the landing gear had dipped beneath the waves before he had ignited the VTOL engine.

It took but a couple hours for Thunderbird Two to ferry the people to the nearest dock, where they would be processed and returned to their homes and loved ones. As they walked the inside of Pod Four, ensuring that nobody was still aboard and nothing had been left behind, Scott noticed that the other three were somewhat subdued.

'Come on, boys... cheer up. we got everybody off safely, didn't we?'

'You mean, nobody told you, Scott?' asked Gordon, sounding shocked.

'Told me what?'

Virgil's rich baritone cut in. 'We didn't get everybody off, Scott. That last group you got out... the captain was in the engine room with them.'

'Right. The Captain, and three others, like Alan said. All four got out.'

'No, Scott,' Alan answered him, shaking his head. 'The Purser miscounted. There were four crewmen trapped in the engine room, as well as the captain.'

'Then the captain...'

'Didn't make it out. When the fire first started, and the electrical system shorted, she knew that the ship had to stay afloat long enough for the people to be evacuated, so worked along sides the Chief Engineer to keep her up. One of the engines caught fire from the strain, and part of it collapsed... Captain Pinso was underneath, and died instantly, crushed. Poor Woman. The Captain said that her last words, just a few seconds earlier, were to make sure everybody got off the ship. The chief Engineer said that he thought she'd never seen so magnificent a sight, as her standing besides him, determination on her face, flame coloured hair about her head like a halo... Scott? Scott, are you all right?'

Scott had stopped. His skin drained of colour, and a strange expression crossed his face. 


End file.
